Sol: Awakening
by AZUREPHOENIX777
Summary: Deep within the bowels of an old fort, a dragon awakens with no memory as to who he is. He is discovered not long afterwards and taken to Warfang, which is on the brink of war with another dragon city. Mostly OCXOC Special thanks to Riverstyxx for helping to proofread each chapter, and for being there to bounce ideas off of. Reviews greatly appreciated.
1. Awakening

Nothing. That was how it started. Just a void. It remained that way for minutes, hours, possibly days.

Suddenly, there was something. It pulled at the eyelids, trying to force them open.

As they parted, a dull gray became visible in the darkness. On the edge of existence was a faint orange glow. Everything was blurry and distorted, but gradually became clearer and more detailed. As the seconds ticked by, 'the world' became a room, and the 'dull gray' turned into bricks.

Taking a deep breath, he tried to recall the events leading up to the present. There was nothing there. No events, no friends, no family, no name. Not a single trace of memory could be found. Did he have friends or family? Was he in danger? Would they know where he was? What if he didn't have any; would he have to find his own way back home? Where was home?

Racing through questions, he took another deep breath to calm himself. After all, what was the point in asking himself questions when he didn't have any answers? Resolving to find his way out, he decided that a good first step would be to take in his surroundings.

There was a rusty iron chandelier attached to the flat ceiling. Upon it were some wax candles that had long since gone out; they were almost completely melted. The whole thing was covered in a thick layer of cobwebs. The air smelled foul, like rotting corpses. A stone slab of some kind could be felt below and he could hear the crackling of burning wood.

Only the ceiling could be seen in this position, but his legs gave off a sharp pain when he tried to move them. Turning his head wasn't nearly as painful and gave him a better view of the room around him.

Torches were mounted on the walls to serve as sources of light. They must have been the cause of the crackling sound as well. Between two of them was a passageway that almost immediately turned to the left and went out of sight. There was a faint yellowish glow within, which indicated that more torches were around the corner.

On the other side of the room was a large vertical crack in the wall. What was visible of the area beyond the crack was very dark; there were no torches on the other side.

Raising his head, he could see his body at this point, examining it with great detail. It was all foreign to him. With four legs, a rather slim torso, a long thin tail, and a large pair of wings, he could deduce that he was a dragon. Wanting to know more, he raised his tail and examined the tailblade. It was made of what appeared to be a bright silver, or possibly platinum. Beginning at the end of his tail, it curved downwards slightly, tapering to a point. A second blade came off the bottom of the first one near the rugged base; it also curved slightly downwards and ended in a point just like the first one did. Continuing to examine it, he noticed something glittering near the wall ahead of him.

On the far side of the room was a large pile of familiar looking red gems. They shone bright crimson and illuminated the area around them. Something about the sight was addictive. The more he looked at it, the more hypnotizing it was. He needed to have those gems.

Trying his best to ignore the pain, he used both of his left legs in addition to his left wing to push himself off the right side of the stone slab.

As all four legs hit the ground at once, the pain caused them to buckle and he yelped. He lay on his stomach next to the slab he'd woken up on. Now in full view, it was about the size of the average dining table and strange symbols were carved into the side. It seemed more like an altar; it was in the dead center of the room. There were more symbols arranged in a circle around the altar, almost as if it was used for some kind of ritual.

When he looked at his legs, he couldn't see any reason for the pain. Shrugging it off, he looked back to the crimson gems, put the pain to the back of his mind, and started to drag himself forward.

As he belly-crawled across the floor, a faint gargling sound could be heard coming from somewhere. When he looked back, he could see no one else. The sound must have come from somewhere outside the room.

Focusing his attention again on the red gems, he started forward once more. His stomach dragged against the cold floor, the friction causing mild discomfort. As the gems got nearer, their red aura brightened. At the same time, their hypnotic power seemed to increase tenfold.

He stretched out a single paw. The source of the addictive glow was almost in grasp.

Suddenly came the faint sound of crumbling rock. It had also come from outside the room. Pausing and listening intently, he cautiously awaited the next sound in the hopes that he could figure out where it was coming from.

After a minute or so of holding perfectly still, he grew tired of waiting. Turning back to the gems, almost entirely through instinct, he raised one paw and struck.

Time seemed to slow down as they shattered and split into tiny fragments, each one dissolving into pure energy and absorbing into his scales. The energy coursed through his body and spirit, reinvigorating him. It was nothing less than pure ecstasy.

The gem's glow faded and the sudden rush went as quickly as it had come. The leg pain had also gone. There was another gargling noise, much louder this time. This time, something was off about the room. It was as though something had just sucked the life out of it.

That was it… The torches were out. The crackling sound of burning wood could no longer be heard, and the orange tint that had been present on the otherwise colorless bricks was no longer there.

Now he heard a strange clicking noise, like the pincers of a large insect.

As the gargling and clicking noises continued, it became increasingly apparent that they were coming from the crack in the wall opposite the exit. He approached the crack as the noises grew louder. Once he reached it, he tried to peer through it.

Suddenly, the noises stopped.

At first, all that was visible was darkness. After a few seconds, however, that began to change. A bright blue light became visible in the darkness, its ominous glow almost otherworldly in nature. It seemed to be getting bigger - wait, no…it was getting closer.

The dragon tensed up as it gradually made its way over to him, getting closer and closer to the other side of the crack. Once it had reached its supposed destination, it stopped and remained still.

The gargling and clicking sounds started up again, this time louder. It was as though the source of them was right in front of him. With a jolt of horror, he realized.

That light was something's eye, wasn't it?

"Uh…h-hello?" His voice was little more than a whisper, yet the reaction was almost instantaneous.

The eyes changed from an ominous blue to a bloody crimson and the gargling sound quickly changed to a low-pitched, distorted shriek. Whatever it was began to pound at the wall; dust and small rocks began to fall to the floor.

He turned and ran, heading down the passageway on the other side of the room. The sound of the strange entity slamming itself into the brickwork got louder and more ferocious by the second. Startled by the sound, he went from a run to a full-on sprint, dashing around a few corners and up a flight of stairs.

Faced with a T-junction, he took a right and ended up in a room that was much smaller than the first. The sound of the entity breaking down the wall reached his ears, accompanied by a high-pitched, feral scream. This prompted him to go faster down another passageway.

The brickwork that made up the walls, ceiling and floor became nothing more than a blur as he scrambled to get out. He took a left, then a right, and smacked straight into a closed wooden door. He could hear the monster's cries and gargles coming up behind him.

Terrified, the dragon slammed himself into the door, which seemed to be barred from the other side. He slammed into it again, and again. The gargling and clicking was getting louder.

He slammed into it once more and the door splintered into fairly large chunks, allowing him to scramble over the pile of wooden furnishings that had been used as a barricade. This room was circular, just like the room he had woken up in. This one, being much larger, had what appeared to be some kind of forge in the center.

On the outskirts were several workbenches, each one holding pieces of metal ore and ingots. Some had leather straps, some had arrowheads, and a few even had finished weapons and armor that someone had been tempering. The circular room was connected to four passageways, the one behind him, which was sealed, and three others which were equidistant from each other.

The torches in this room were all extinguished; the only light came from the forge in the center.

Remembering the monster that was rapidly approaching, the dragon thought to slow it down by adding to the clutter already barricading the door. He began to move the first workbench into place, but the sound of the monster once again reached his ears, causing him to flee once more.

Zipping past the workbenches that were still upright, he sped down the opposite passageway. He could hear the barricade giving out but dared not look back as the monster continued to chase him.

The next room was small and rectangular, and there were more passageways: one on the wall opposite and one on the left. The wall on the right was fitted with a large set of double doors made of metal. There were more torches lining the walls, once again lit.

Hoping that the doors were an exit, he ran up to them. Resting his forepaws on them, he pushed.

To his relief, the doors were not barricaded like the wooden door that he had previously encountered, but they were much heavier and more difficult to move. The sound of the rusty iron doors grinding against the brickwork put his nerves on edge. As the gap between the two doors widened, rays of sunlight began to pour through. The monster's shrieks and clicks were getting louder.

The dragon pushed with all his might, allowing the sunlight to fill the room behind him. He could feel the wind on his face; the smell of fresh air filled his lungs.

The doors were now fully open and the room behind him fully illuminated. He sped outside, turned around and, with moderate difficulty, closed the first of the two doors. Letting the monster escape was out of the question.

Almost out of energy, he moved onto the second one and pushed it as hard as he could. When the doors were almost closed, something black shot out of the gap between them; some kind of long and slender limb with equally long and slender claws.

He watched in horror as the limb reached around the door he was pushing, grabbed him by the neck and tried to pull him back inside.

It had a grip like a vice; breathing was almost impossible. He couldn't bite it and clawing at it seemed to do nothing. All he could do was hold onto the doors to stop himself from being pulled through. He took what he believed to be his first and last view of the outside world. There was a forest in front of him, with beautiful green grass, and a bright blue sky dotted with clouds. His strength was rapidly fading; he could do nothing, nothing to prevent his own likely gruesome fate.

Without warning, an arrow embedded itself in the limb that was so tightly gripping his neck. The monster let out a painful scream.

Another arrow landed right next to the first one. He could feel the monster's grip loosening as it let out several more high-pitched shrieks.

A third one punctured the limb and the monster let out one final screech before dropping its prey and withdrawing its arm.

Left lying against the doors, the dragon shuffled backwards to close them the rest of the way. He then slumped back against them and decided to rest for a moment. Closing his eyes, his sheer exhaustion and lack of air was beginning to pull his eyelids shut. He could feel his mind slowly fading into darkness.

"Are you alright?"

There was a cheetah climbing down from one of the trees. Once it reached the ground, it walked towards him. The closer it got, the more it became apparent that the cheetah was male. He was wearing basic leather armor and a red cloak, and there was a quiver on his back with several arrows in it. These were likely for the wooden bow he was holding in his right paw.

"Uh…yeah. I'm okay." The dragon tried to get up, but he didn't have the strength.

"Just a bit tired," he added with a twinge of embarrassment.

"In that case, take this." The cheetah reached into his pocket and pulled out a green gem. It had a similar glow to the red ones the dragon had seen earlier. The cheetah knelt to ground level and placed it in front of him.

The dragon proceeded to strike it just as he had before and felt a similar rush of energy. Now rejuvenated, he was able to stand up. He turned to face the cheetah and spoke. "Before we go anywhere, we need to barricade this door with something."

The cheetah paused for a second, then his face lit up. He then looked towards the forest. "I passed a fallen tree on the way up here. If we bring it back, then it should prevent anything unpleasant from escaping the fort."

"Alright, let's go get - wait, fort?" The dragon turned around to get a good look at the building he had just barely escaped from.

It really did look like an old fort. There were five round towers, one on each of the four corners and a significantly larger one in the center. The wear and tear was distinct on the ancient brickwork. The numerous red flags that were used to decorate the exterior were almost torn to pieces.

"Yes, this fort was built even before Malefor's time. I'll tell you about it later; I believe the barricade is more important." The cheetah turned to leave, but the dragon stopped him.

"Wait a second!"

"Yes?"

"What is your name?"

"My name? Oh, forgive me." The cheetah seemed a little disappointed in himself for not introducing himself sooner. "My name is Hunter."


	2. The First Night

The sun had reached its peak. The sky was bright blue and lush green vegetation covered the forest floor.

Hunter and his dragon accomplice had barricaded the door to the old fort and then decided to head back to Hunter's tribe. On their way through the forest, the dragon had revealed his lack of memory. In the process of explaining it, he'd realized that he hadn't eaten anything since he'd woken up. Hunter had decided that they should take a break to get something to eat.

They had just eaten and were waiting for their food to digest before continuing their trek. Hunter was sitting down against a nearby tree, while the dragon was staring at his reflection in a small pond.

His eyes were a deep blue. Two thick horns protruded from the back of his head. They were smooth and curved upwards very slightly. His snout wasn't as bulbous as most males, being more on the pointy side. He continued to observe his rather unusual tailblade; he'd never admit it to anyone…but he thought it looked kind of cool.

He was almost in a trance, taking in every last detail, and was only pulled out of it when Hunter finally broke the silence. "So, you were telling me what happened?"

"Huh?" The dragon turned to face his new companion.

"When you woke up in the old fort."

"Oh, okay." He remembered what he was doing. "I was lying on my back on top of some kind of altar in the middle of the room. My legs hurt real bad. I healed myself using some red gems on the other side of the room. Then I saw that thing's eyes through a crack in the wall and, when I spoke to it, it went berserk. It broke down the wall and chased me out."

"…And then it attacked you when you tried to close the door behind you," Hunter said, finishing the recollection for him.

"Yeah…"

"…And the torches were still lit when you left?"

"They were."

"Hmm…" Hunter seemed to be deep in thought. "An altar… I think I have a theory as to what must've happened."

"Huh?"

"Someone must have removed your memories intentionally…and if the torches were still lit when you left… There's a strong chance that whoever it was could still be inside."

"You mean we just locked him inside with that…thing?"

"Possibly… Of course, there's always the chance that whoever it was left before you did. In which case, I wouldn't worry."

"Why would I worry about someone who robbed me of literally everything I had? I can't even remember my name!"

"It is up to you to decide if they are worth worrying about, no one can decide for you. As for your name, you could always give yourself a new one."

"I…huh?"

"I once knew a very wise old dragon. He believed in seeing the silver lining in everything. Only a short while after I met him, I began to share that belief."

"I still don't know what you're getting at."

"I understand that losing your memory must be a terrible ordeal to go through, but at the same time, I think you should try to see it as an opportunity."

"An opportunity?"

"Think of it as a new leaf; a chance to start over. By choosing a name to go by, you would be creating a whole new life for yourself."

"…I'll need to think about this."

"Take your time, it is a big decision."

The dragon stared once again into the pond, hoping that the still water would be able to clear his mind and allow him to make a rational decision.

"_What kind of name should I pick for myself? I have no idea where to start. Someone's name is supposed to reflect who they are…but I don't know who I am. Maybe I should pick one that reflects who I hope to become…but who do I want to be?"_

While staring into the pond, he had a clear view of the sky above through its reflection. He saw the birds, the clouds, the sun...

"_Huh… The sun. The sun gives off light and warmth. It offers us protection, it provides anchorage, and it gives us direction and hope…"_

In an instant, he had decided. He knew who he wanted to be.

"_I want to be like that. I want to be a protector and a guide for others. I want to be able to help others when they're in trouble, to give them direction, to give them hope when they have none. I want to be just like the star which provides us with so much, and hope that I can shine just as bright."_

"Sol."

"I'm sorry?" Hunter's mind had started to wander and he had almost forgotten that he was waiting for the dragon's response.

"That's the sun…isn't it? Sol."

"Yes…our very own light in the sky." Hunter looked up at it with an expression of admiration on his face.

"Then that's what I want my name to be."

"Sol?" Hunter turned back to his companion, slightly puzzled.

"Yeah…I thought that maybe I could grow into it…" The white dragon realised that it sounded downright stupid when he said it out loud…but he had already made up his mind.

"Well, it's short and simple; easy to remember. Why not?"

So it was now official; Sol would be his name.

The pair felt that their food had had plenty of time to digest. They got up and resumed their journey, eventually leaving the dense forest and entering the Valley of Avalar.

* * *

><p>Meanwhile, in the dragon city of Warfang, steel clouds were settling overhead and the first drops of rain in what could be a minor storm started to fall. All citizens had been advised to stay indoors for their own safety; all except one. One lone dragon was heading for the temple at the city's highest point, having been summoned by the guardians themselves.<p>

This dragon, Spyro, was unlike any other. While most dragons were restricted to using only one element, he had the potential to learn all of them. Also, unlike any other dragon, his scales were purple.

It was what set him apart from everyone else, what made him unique. He was only a teenager, and already he had experienced more than most do in a lifetime. He had made friends, enemies, even found his soul-mate. Although it had got off to a rocky start, he was happy with his life.

The double doors to the temple were very large. They appeared to be made of a very smooth sandstone with golden strips that served as accents. As Spyro approached them, he paused for a moment to collect his thoughts. In their summons, the guardians had mentioned wanting to discuss "something of great importance" with him. He had spent almost the whole day wondering what it could possibly be. From the wording they had used in the summons, it seemed like something that they had wanted to talk to him about for quite some time.

Spyro shook his head, hoping to clear it, and then proceeded through the colossal doors and into the office where the guardians were waiting for him.

When he arrived at the office door, which was significantly smaller than the one that led outside, he could hear the guardians talking inside. Out of curiosity, he pressed the side of his head against the stone-cold door and listened.

"…when we move on from this and into the future!" The first voice was Volteer, the Electric Guardian. It sounded like he was slightly frustrated about something.

"I understand your concern, Volteer, but if we don't ask him then we won't get his opinion on the matter!" That was Terrador, the Earth Guardian.

"You know full well he isn't ready!" The purple dragon recognised the voice of the Ice Guardian, Cyril. Spyro knew it was him they were talking about… He had to hear more.

"If we prepare him for the role, then he will be ready by the time he has come of age." This voice took a moment for the purple dragon to recognise, but eventually it dawned on him that this was the voice of the new Wind Guardian, Cyclonus. He and his tribe of Wind Dragons had been discovered in the Gale Mountains to the northeast only three months prior. Spyro had only conversed with him twice since then.

"Personally, I think this whole thing is a complete waste of time. We shouldn't even be having this conversation. Leaders are born, not made. He is no leader. No amount of preparation could turn him into someone capable of-"

The door swung open, allowing the purple dragon to fall through it. He hit the floor with a loud thump.

"Never mind…"

"Ah, Spyro. We were just talking about you." Terrador gestured towards an empty cushion next to a round table in the center of the room.

Spyro got up off the floor and sat on said cushion. The one who had been talking previously was someone that Spyro had never spoken to, but recognised instantly upon making eye contact. It was Inferran, the new Fire Guardian and successor to Ignitus, Spyro's mentor and father figure.

"May I ask how much of our conversation you heard?" Cyril was staring daggers into Inferran, whom he was sitting next to.

"I didn't hear much. Just that you were going to prepare me for something important."

"Yes, Spyro." Terrador's attitude took a more serious turn. He cleared his throat and began to read from a piece of paper that he had in front of him. "As the purple dragon, you are capable of many things that others are not. You can wield any of the known elements and possibly many more. Your upper limits are completely unknown to us, and we believe that your power, your wisdom, and your courage was given to you for a reason. We believe…we believe…we…"

"Come on, Terrador. Spit it out!" Volteer was getting impatient.

"I still think this is a waste of time," muttered Inferran.

"…We believe that it is your destiny…to lead the race of dragons in this era of hopefully everlasting peace."

Spyro was at a complete loss for words. An entire race? They must be joking. They had to be. He was only a single dragon. Since the war, they'd needed an entire council to run things… How could he do a better job than they could?

"See? He obviously doesn't think he's capable."

"Inferran, please wait for him to respond before making assumptions." Terrador silenced the Fire Guardian and everyone in the room awaited Spyro's response.

"I...I don't think I'm capable. I mean…you need a council to run everything in just one city…and there are more dragon settlements out there. Do you really think I'd be able to run all that by myself?"

"The council will continue to operate, but you will be its head. In every major discussion, the final decision will be up to you. It will be the highest degree of authority given to any dragon in history."

"…A-are you sure that's a good idea? I mean, what if I mess up? I have no experience with that kind of thing. I don't think I'd be much good at it."

"That's why, should you accept, we will prepare you for the role until you come of age, at which point you will assume the role full time," Terrador explained.

"…I'd have to think about it."

"Of course you will, Spyro. We will not force an answer out of you here. We will give you as long as it takes for you to come to a decision."

"What would my responsibilities be in that position?" Spyro needed to know everything about the position if he was even going to consider taking it.

"Here is a list of what your responsibilities would be, along with any perks you might benefit from." Terrador used his tail to give Spyro a scroll that was sealed with the Warfang crest. "You may take it with you when you leave. When you have made your final decision, you must come and speak to me."

"Okay, Terrador. Is there anything else I need to know?"

"No, nothing else. You are dismissed. You have a lot to think about."

"Alright… I'll get going." Spyro held the scroll with his tail and left the room, hearing two last things before moving out of earshot. The first was spoken by the Fire Guardian, the second by the Wind Guardian.

"What a little runt."

"You watch your tongue!"

* * *

><p>Sol and Hunter arrived at the cheetah village in the early evening and were taken to see the tribe's chief, Prowlus. Hunter explained Sol's predicament to the chief and then took Sol to his hut. Hunter then left to talk to Prowlus in private. Sol, now left in the hut by himself, didn't want to get in trouble for anything, so he just sat down and waited for Hunter to get back.<p>

The inside of the hut was fairly plain. There was a bed with a wooden frame, an indoor fire pit, a few chairs, and some cushions. There was also a nightstand next to the bed with a single lit candle on it.

"_He's been away for some time. I wonder what it is they're talking about."_

"_I hope it isn't me. I hate it when I'm talked about behind my back… Wait, do I? The thought of it doesn't seem very pleasant, but how do I know that it's something I actively dislike?"_

He thought about what else he liked and disliked… He thoroughly enjoyed the rabbit that he'd eaten earlier that day, but what about other foods? Did he like fruit? Fish? Or deer?

"_I wonder what my favorite color is… I mean, I'm white, but is white my favorite? Come to think of it, what is my element? If I'm white, then…either I'm an ice dragon or a wind dragon. When I get the chance, I should try to find out."_

"Ahem."

Sol looked towards the entrance to see Hunter, who had returned from his talk with Prowlus.

"What did you talk about?"

"We were discussing what I was to do with you."

"What do you mean?" Sol was slightly puzzled.

"Well, I asked the chief for assistance in finding you a place to stay. When he refused to let you stay here, I suggested that I take you to Warfang, the dragon city. Once we're there, the guardians can find a place for you. Does that sound okay?"

"Well, yeah, it does, but are you sure you're alright with taking me? How far is it?"

"Oh, don't worry about it. If we leave early enough, we should arrive a few hours past noon. I don't mind taking you. If anything, this trip will give me the chance to catch up with some friends of mine." Hunter turned to face nothing in particular, and the expression on his face gave the impression he was reminiscing about something.

"That sounds like a plan. So, we're going to leave in the morning?"

"Yes, we'd better get an early night. We're leaving at dawn."

"_Dawn? I get that we want to get there as soon as possible, but why so early?"_

"Okay, that sounds good." Sol chose not to question it. At least, not openly.

Hunter got into his bed and Sol lay on the floor, resting his head on the cushion. Hunter blew out the candle on the nightstand and the pair slowly drifted off to sleep.


	3. The Next Day

Sol woke with a start. He was lying on his back in a large circular room. From what he could tell, the walls and ceiling appeared to be made out of gray stone bricks. There was an iron chandelier hanging from the ceiling, with many extinguished candles in place upon it. The room seemed familiar; the only thing that seemed off was the lack of notable light sources.

It was only a few seconds before an all too familiar gargling sound reached his ears.

"_What was that?"_

_Crumble_

"_W-what's happening?"_

He tried to speak, but his mouth wouldn't open for some reason.

_Clickclickclick_

"_O-oh…w-wait."_

_Gargle_

"_I remember… I know what's coming."_

_SLAM_

"_It's breaking down the wall…and I can't move!"_

_SLAM_

"_Please don't hurt me…"_

_SLAM_

_CRUMBLE_

"…Groooeeerk…"

_Clickclickclick_

Sol could hear the monster's gargles and clicks growing louder as it neared him, and he begged with no one in particular to just let him close his eyes. He could do nothing but watch in horror as the monster slowly came into view, standing over him like a predator about to lunge at its prey.

Its head looked like a cat's skull; its eyes were balls of light, each an ominous blue. It had a thin body with long thin claws on the end of its…hands? And it was covered almost entirely with what appeared to be dark gray, leathery skin in addition to a pitch black shadowy aura.

The monster looked right at him and began to stroke his immobile form with its claws. It was cold and, although they didn't scratch him, the claws still felt very sharp. Sol's pulse began to race; he was terrified. The thing's eyes turned to the same shade of crimson they had done previously. It held Sol's head in one of its hands and reached into his mouth with the other, its putrid taste almost driving him mad.

"Aaaaaaauraeerk!"

It pulled his mouth open, reached its other hand inside, and did the unthinkable.

Sol could feel it clawing around in his throat as it slowly pulled itself inside him. It forced its head inside, then its torso, and then its legs. His insides felt like they were on fire. As the monster's legs disappeared into his mouth, something was happening. It was like the thing he had just involuntarily swallowed was dissolving. He could feel it slowly infesting his body, filling every limb, organ and bone. His body was beginning to darken, his mind was starting to fade. He was dying…he was dying and there was nothing he could do about it; no one was coming to save him.

His last thought before he blacked out was one of pure terror…terror, anger, hatred and malice. He didn't want to die. He wanted to kill, he wanted to slaughter, he wanted to—

"GAH!"

Sol's eyes shot open. He was staring at the ceiling of what appeared to be a—

"_Hunter's hut…in the cheetah village…"_

"…_It was all a dream…"_

Still shaken, he looked towards the bed to see that Hunter was still sleeping. Sol walked towards the door and carefully opened it. It would be another hour or two before dawn broke. The village was quiet; everyone was inside. The fire that had been lit outside had long since gone out.

Sol walked outside, closing the door behind him, and sat down. There was a cool morning breeze that gently caressed his face, nearly lulling him back to sleep.

No. He had to stay awake. If he went to sleep now, he was afraid that he would be unable to wake up again when it was time to leave.

A strange gargling sound broke the silence. Sol quickly looked around, his head darting in all different directions, only to realise that the sound had not come from any monster but from his own gut. It growled at him again.

He was starving. The rabbit he had eaten the day before had already been digested and the time had come to eat again…but what?

"_Ugh…maybe I should just wait until morning, then I could try to catch my own breakfast on the way to Warfang."_

He hated how Hunter was the one who'd killed the rabbit and not him.

"_I was perfectly capable of doing it myself… I think."_

For several minutes, he sat perfectly still, observing the horizon, waiting for the sun to come up, basking in the wind while he did so. Sol began to wonder about the dragon city. What did it look like? How many dragons actually lived there? What was the food like? Was it the kind of place you could easily get lost in?

Before he knew it, he could see a very faint orange tinge in the eastward sky. Hunter would be getting up soon. Sol turned around and headed back inside the hut to await daybreak.

An hour later Hunter rose from his bed, surprised that Sol was already awake. Although he asked, Sol avoided revealing why he woke up so early. The sun was barely visible over the horizon. Hunter gave a sealed envelope to a falcon and sent it away. The pair then left the cheetah village.

As he was led by Hunter through the Valley of Avalar, Sol's empty stomach was getting to him.

"Hey, Hunter?"

"Yes?"

"Shouldn't we eat something? I mean, I didn't eat anything since that rabbit…and as far as I know, you haven't eaten, either."

"You're right." Hunter paused to think. "Maybe we should press on until we reach the forbidden passage. We can stop once we're there and I can get us something to eat."

"No!" Sol blurted out without thinking.

"I-is something wrong?" Hunter was slightly taken aback; Sol had been mostly quiet so far.

"I, uh, sorry. I would like to get my own food, if that's okay." Sol discovered another useful fact about himself… He hated shouting.

"Well, I suppose. You are a dragon, after all. You should be capable. But…" Hunter stopped in his tracks, forcing Sol to stop as well. "If you are to be hunting your own food this morning, then beware of the grublins."

"Grublins?"

"Artificial monsters created by the Dark Master before his downfall. They are no longer an organised army, so they're more spread out and far less dangerous than they once were. They are seen from time to time in the valley."

Hunter started walking again, Sol following.

"Are they anything like the monster I saw in the fort?"

"Well, all I saw of that monster was its arm. It looked like a cheetah's…only without fur, color, and more skeletal in appearance. Another thing that struck me as odd was its paws… They didn't look like paws at all, more like hands. Like dragonflies."

"_The one from my dream had a cat skull. That can't be a coincidence. Is what I saw in my dream really what they look like?"_

"So, grublins don't look anything like that?"

"No, they look like pieces of rock with arms and legs. You'll know them when you see them, and if you do…stay away."

"I'll keep that in mind."

Sol could see them approaching a large rock face. On this rock face there was a large indent with a cheetah's paw print on it. As they neared it, Hunter stopped and turned to face his companion. "This is the entrance to the forbidden passage. If you still want to hunt by yourself, that's fine. We'll both hunt separately, meet back here in half an hour and eat. Afterwards, we will take the forbidden passage straight to Warfang."

"Okay, I'll try not to take too long." Sol chose a direction at random and ran off, taking a mental note of his surroundings so as to not get lost.

It occurred to him that this was the first time he had run since leaving the fort. He noticed that, despite his current speed, his legs didn't feel tired in the slightest. He felt like he could go faster, much faster.

Deciding to test himself while he was away from any unwanted attention, he forced his legs to move faster. Gaining speed with each step, he could feel the grass, the rivers, the rocks, and the trees zipping past him. The feel of the wind caressing his face, chest, wings, and tail felt both comforting and liberating. It was as though he was at harmony with everything around him. He had all but forgotten his hunger. He wanted to go faster.

Just like that, he could feel his speed increasing even further, and this time it felt as though the wind was blowing through him. His vision started to become a blur. He could feel everything. Every particle in the air around him became all he could think about. It felt as though he was truly one with the—

_WOOSH_

"Gah!"

He suddenly experienced an almost unthinkable sensation. It felt like he was just pulled—no—pushed apart, and then pulled back together. He slammed his feet into the ground only to topple forwards and flop face first into a fairly shallow puddle.

Ignoring the sudden wetness around his muzzle, he turned around to see a tree several meters away. "_D-did I just go _through _that tree?"_

"_How? How is that possible?"_

His thoughts were interrupted by the sound of something scurrying through the tall grass.

He saw it immediately. It was a rabbit, much larger than the one he'd eaten the previous day. It was looking away from him… Had it not seen him?

It was highly unlikely considering his brief encounter with the puddle, but if the rabbit didn't know he was there, then maybe he could get the jump on it. He began to slowly creep up behind it, laying low in the tall grass, hoping that his bright coloration wouldn't give him away. He was just about to pounce on it when it darted forwards and disappeared into some nearby shrubbery. Unwilling to let his meal escape, Sol chased after it. Following the rabbit through the shrubbery and out the other side, he managed to catch it in his paws.

He _really _didn't want to watch the rabbit struggle, so he held it down with one paw and punched it with the other, knocking it out. He then used his claws to slit its throat. Although ashamed by what he had done, he moved to pick up and carry the recently deceased rabbit in his mouth. When he had his mouth around it and was about to pick it up, however, he began to sense something else in the area. He stopped for a second and listened. A faint rustling sound reached his ears; it came from a small bush behind a nearby tree. He stared at it, leaving the rabbit on the ground and waiting for the bush to make another noise.

A few seconds later, the bush began to shake and a small creature walked out of it.

The creature appeared to be made of mostly solidified sediment, and Sol remembered what Hunter had said about grublins. He also remembered that he had made a promise to stay away from them, so he hastily picked up the dead rabbit still at his feet and turned to leave. When he was about to start running, he heard a high-pitched, almost squeaky voice call out to him.

"Wait! Brother!"

He stopped in his tracks and turned to face the grublin. It was running after him.

"Come back, brother! I must take you to see the chief!" At this point, Sol noticed that the voice was unusually scratchy.

"Uh…come again?" he mumbled, still carrying the dead rabbit.

The grublin stopped in front of him. "I must bring you to the chief. He will want to speak with you."

"I…I'm sorry, but I have somewhere else I need to be."

"No, it is important!"

"Uh…" The 'conversation' they were having was becoming uncomfortable for him, so he decided to cut it short. "I…need to go."

He sped off with his breakfast, hearing the grublin call out to him. "Don't forsake your heritage!"

"_Heritage? What the heck is that supposed to mean?"_

"_Ugh, never mind… I need to get back to Hunter. This time I'll do it without going through anything. Come to think of it, I still have no idea how that happened. Maybe it's something I should look into."_

It wasn't long before he ended up back in front of the forbidden passage. Hunter hadn't returned yet. While he waited, he decided to tuck into his meal. The raw meat was better than yesterday, but he felt like it could have been so much better had it been cooked.

He had just finished picking the bones clean when Hunter got back, holding another rabbit.

"Ah, I see you've already eaten. Yours is much bigger than mine too, impressive." The cheetah gave a slight chuckle. "I trust you didn't run into any trouble?"

Sol nodded.

"Hunter… Can grublins talk?"

"No. They cannot… Why?"

"Uh…no reason."

* * *

><p>Several hours had passed since they'd entered the forbidden passage. The endless amount of torches that lined the walls reminded Sol of the fort that he had woken up in. It was a ridiculously long tunnel and he was bored out of his mind. The tunnel was mostly straight; he'd love to experience running down it.<p>

"Hey, Hunter? Can I meet you at the other end?"

"Sorry, but I'd rather keep an eye on you. Besides, it's not much further."

"Oh…well, when we get out, how long will it take us to get there?"

"The passage bypasses the walls and comes out near the main gate. We will already be inside the city," Hunter explained.

"Will they appreciate us showing up unannounced?"

"No need to worry about that. Do you remember this morning, before we left? I sent a falcon to the guardians to let them know I was visiting. I also explained your…unfortunate predicament. They will be expecting us."

"Well, that's good to know."

About half an hour later, Sol noticed a light at the end of the tunnel and dashed towards it. As he got closer, he could see the area outside. The city's main gate was visible down a flight of steps, and as far as he could see there were moles, dragons, a few cheetahs, and there was even a dragonfly.

As he walked up to the exit, he hesitated. He was quickly overcome by his nerves and he couldn't move. What if he messed up and made a bad first impression? What if he got someone angry? What if he did something stupid and everyone laughed at him?

Why was he thinking about these things? It was like he'd never been in a social setting before. Then again, he had no past experiences to call upon for help. He rationalised that it was natural to be nervous.

Sol took a deep breath and was about to step outside when a large green dragon exited one of the nearby alleyways and headed straight for him. His feet froze again.

"Welcome, young dragon. You must be Sol." The dragon's voice sounded part intimidating, part kind. It was like he usually employed a serious attitude but was making a special effort to be pleasant.

"I… Yes."

"That's good. Before we do anything, I'd like to know where Hunter is."

"I'm right here, Terrador."

Sol turned around to see Hunter jogging towards them. "_Oh… I almost forgot about him."_

"I told you not to run off."

"I… Sorry."

"Well, what matters is that you're both here. Now, Hunter. You mentioned wanting to visit Spyro and Cynder while you were here? Right now they're in geography class with Volteer. I'm sure they'd let you wait for them in the entrance hall."

"Thank you, Terrador." Hunter turned to Sol. "I will be leaving you with Terrador now; he's the Earth Guardian and one of the most influential dragons in this city. I'm sure he can help you much better than I could."

"Oh...okay." Sol was slightly afraid of being in the biggest city in the known world and only knowing one individual out of everyone inside, but he knew he'd have to get over it if he was to make any friends.

"Farewell." Hunter gave one final wave before heading down the alleyway that Terrador had come from.

Terrador then turned to the teen. "Let us go to the temple. Once there, we can discuss your condition in more detail. Hopefully we can come up with a solution, at least temporarily."

"Okay, let's go."

They then headed for the temple at the city's highest point.


	4. Sen

Terrador and Sol travelled through seemingly endless streets and alleyways to get to the temple at the city's peak. Once there, the Earth Guardian escorted Sol through the golden arches and down several corridors to a room with an octagonal mahogany table in the center.

Sol looked around the room; it looked like a cross between an office and a meeting room. There were bookshelves up against the wall, a few paintings depicting dragons he didn't recognize, and the table, now that he looked more closely, seemed to double as a desk, as there was a drawer that could be pulled out.

There were several cushions on the floor surrounding the table. Sol sat on the one nearest the door, whereas Terrador sat on the cushion opposite him.

"So, where shall we start?" The Earth Guardian seemed to be talking more to himself than to Sol. "I think our first priority should be finding you a place to stay."

"Oh…um, okay."

"Now, for obvious reasons, I can't give you your own building or anything like that. I thought about this before you came and I believe I have a solution."

"…And what is it?"

"I was thinking of enrolling you in our city's academy. All dragons in the city go there when they're old enough, so you'll be around others your own age. I think that making friends is important, especially in circumstances like this. By doing this, you can also take advantage of the bursary that we have in place."

"Uh…bursary?" Sol had never heard the term before.

"It's financial assistance that we give to the not-so-fortunate who enrol in the academy. It's for dragons like you who have no one to support them."

"Oh…that sounds good."

"You will receive twenty-five green gems per week. You will also be sleeping at the academy with the other students."

"Do all students sleep at the academy?"

"Not all of them; those who live close by have the option to sleep at home."

"That makes sense…"

"Now, something else to consider is your lessons. As our curriculum involves a wide variety of subjects, you will have three mandatory courses and five optional ones that you may choose from this list." Terrador opened the drawer on his side of the table and from it withdrew a piece of paper. He placed the list on the table and pushed it Sol's way.

The Earth Guardian paused for a second, then continued. "If you should accept, we will give you a timetable with all of your lessons. You will receive it a day before you are due to start attending."

Sol examined the list. "_There are almost thirty courses to choose from…and I only recognise twelve."_

"Take your time; once you've been enrolled in a course, you cannot back out."

"I'll keep that in mind."

* * *

><p>Elsewhere in the city, the marketplace was lively as usual. Dragons and moles rushed to buy things from other dragons and moles, some buying items on wild impulse, others simply grabbing the essentials. Some were even haggling with the vendors, trying to get a good deal. One of the hagglers, a young fire dragon with crimson scales, was trying to purchase an oddity from a visiting mole.<p>

"This one is fifty red gems." The oddity in question was a small figurine depicting a dragonfly. It was carved from high quality wood.

"What!? That's insane! I can't afford that! I'll give you twenty for it."

"That's too low, I'm afraid." The mole set the piece down and put his paws together. "I'll sell it for forty."

"You're joking, right? I'm not paying that much."

"…Thirty-five. That's as low as I'll go." the mole said calmly.

The red dragon stamped one of his forepaws on the ground and smoke began to come out of his nostrils. "That thing isn't worth thirty-five gems! It looks like someone tied a couple of sticks together and tried to pass it off as an art piece!"

"How dare you insult my wares!" The mole bashed clenched fists against the stall as his calm demeanor broke.

"Wares? Ha! Everything here is tasteless garbage!"

"If that's what you think then why are you even talking to me!? I could be dealing with someone else right now!"

"That's none of your business!"

"BOTH OF YOU, BE QUIET!" A feminine voice thundered throughout the marketplace and all others fell silent.

The crimson dragon and the mole turned to face a dragoness, slightly younger than the former, leaving one of the shops, walking into the street and closing the door behind her. Her smooth scales were a saturated yellow. Her eyes were golden and seemed to glow from within.

The angry red dragon was slightly taken aback; she was glaring at him. "Sen…I-"

"Don't you have something better to do than to harass this poor mole!?" The yellow dragon positioned herself between the arguing pair, forcing the red one to back away.

"I want that figure, but he's not selling it to me!"

"You need to keep your temper under control, Blaze!"

"Hey! He's the one getting angry!" Blaze gestured to the mole.

"And he has every right to be angry!" Sen raised a paw and jabbed Blaze in the chest with one of her claws. "You made the conscious decision to walk up to this stall and then had the nerve to insult him!"

"I only insulted the stuff he was selling!"

"You think that's any better!? His stall wasn't here yesterday, do you know what that means!?"

"I… No, I don't."

"It means he's a travelling merchant! He's only just got here! He came here from who knows how far away only to have someone almost light him on fire!"

"I wasn't going to do anything!"

"Are you sure!?"

"…No."

A second passed, two seconds, three seconds. A whole minute passed and everyone went back to what they were doing. Sen turned around and observed the item that Blaze had considered purchasing. The dragonfly figure looked a lot like someone she knew.

"I'd like to buy this figure, please."

"Very well, you can have it for fifteen gems."

"WHAT!?" Blaze roared.

"Thanks, later." Leaving the gems on the counter, Sen picked up the figure and left.

Blaze and the mole made eye contact one last time.

"Why did she get it so cheap!?"

"Get out of my sight."

* * *

><p>Back at the temple, Terrador was examining the subjects that Sol had chosen.<p>

The three mandatory subjects were Mathematics, Spoken and Written Language, and Physical and Elemental Combat.

"This is a very…interesting combination of subjects. You want to study Performing Arts?"

"Well…you said that it was really important to make friends, so I thought it would help me improve my social skills."

"That's very sensible of you." The Earth Guardian's eyes moved down the page. In addition to Performing Arts, Sol had circled Ethics and Philosophy, Geography, History, and War Strategy and Tactics.

"In my experience, it's rare for Geography and History to be chosen by the same student."

"So…will it be possible for me to enrol with these subjects?"

"It's going to be a little tricky to make up your timetable, but I'll see what I can do."

"Uh…thank you."

Terrador placed the piece of paper into the draw from whence it came. "Another thing we must consider is your health. I've already made arrangements for an examination."

Hearing the final word induced a slight wince from Sol. "E-examination?"

"Yes, you will be expected at the infirmary in just under half an hour. Once there, a doctor will take a look at you." Terrador's tone changed to one of concern when he noticed Sol's increasing discomfort. "Is there something wrong?"

"Is it anything…you know…invasive?"

Terrador paused for a second before answering. "…It is standard procedure for all new citizens."

"…But that doesn't answer my question."

"The doctor will give you the details. Just know that we need to have a medical record for everyone in the city. We need to know of any injuries, diseases, and disabilities you may have."

"…And who has access to this information?" Sol disliked the idea of anyone looking through his personal files.

"It's on a need to know basis. Besides you, only the staff at the infirmary and the academy will ever see the documents."

"I…okay."

"Now. The infirmary takes about twenty minutes to walk to, so unless you plan to fly, you'll need to leave fairly-" Terrador was interrupted by a knock on the door. "Enter."

The door opened to reveal a dragoness of about Sol's age. Turning to face her, Sol was immediately captivated by her shimmering yellow scales, her shapely nose, her golden eyes, and her wide hips. She was holding something in her mouth, something wooden. She walked into the room and set it down on the table. It was a finely carved figurine featuring a dragonfly.

"Sorry I'm late; I had to break up a fight at the marketplace."

"There's no need to worry. You're here now, that's what matters." Terrador then spoke to Sol. "This is Sen, my niece. She'll be taking you to the infirmary. Afterwards, she'll show you to the academy and take you where you'll be sleeping."

"Okay… Will she be in the room during the medical exam?"

Although the question was directed at Terrador, it was Sen who answered. "Oh, no. I'm just going to wait outside. You know, while the doctor sticks needles in you."

Sol wasn't entirely sure why, but he suddenly encountered an almost overwhelming urge to laugh.

Sen turned to face her uncle. "Don't worry, I'll make sure he stays out of trouble."

"See that you do. Now, why don't the two of you get going? I have paperwork to do."

"Sure." Sen turned to face Sol. "Let's go," she said whilst picking the figurine back up, this time with her tail.

The two then left the room, closing the door behind them.

After leaving the temple, they made their way down the short flight of stairs leading up to the entrance and into the busy street below. As they weaved in and out of other dragons and moles, Sen paused every few seconds to greet passers-by, as though she personally knew each one of them. Sol couldn't help but admire his escort's upbeat attitude and dazzling features. He wanted to say something to her, but wasn't sure what.

"_Maybe I should ask her about her day? No. If she's feeling alright? Nope, I've got no reason to ask that question. Besides, she looks cheerful enough."_

Sen slightly turned her head in his direction. "You know…my uncle told me something about you."

"Really? What did he tell you?" Sol said as he quickly dodged an oncoming fruit cart.

"He said you lost your memory… Is that true?" Her concerned tone of voice was noticeably similar to that of her uncle's.

"Well…yeah. The first thing I remember is waking up in an abandoned fort yesterday morning."

"Yesterday morning? I'm guessing that you haven't experienced much since then."

"Nope. I'm not even a hundred percent sure what my element is… I think it might be Wind. I still haven't flown yet, either," Sol said, squeezing between two very large dragons.

"Well, maybe I can help you. I can teach you to fly the way I was taught."

"Really? Thank y-WOAH!" Sol had to dive out of the way of another cart, landing on his belly. When he recovered, he looked at Sen to see her laughing. "Please don't laugh."

"Heh…sorry. Here, let me help you up." She offered him her paw.

"It's alright, I can get up on my own."

Once he'd gotten back up, Sen gestured for him to follow her and led him down a small alleyway. "This should get us away from the crowd. It's much busier than usual today. You know, with the upcoming celebration."

"What celebration?"

"Oh, yeah. You don't know. Well, there's a really important hatchday coming up and they're throwing a city-wide party to celebrate."

"Who is it for?" Sol was curious to know who could be so important as to have a city-wide hatchday party.

"I'll tell you after our visit to the infirmary; we're already running late. We should probably speed up." Sen began to run down the alley at a very quick pace with Sol in hot pursuit, still dreading what the medical examination would entail.


	5. Medical Examination

The infirmary was a rather large building that, like most other buildings in the city, was constructed from a lightish-brown stone. It was mostly square in shape, with large double doors at the front. There were no steps leading up to them, probably to make it easier to access by those who had difficulty scaling such things. Windows were evenly spaced around the building's exterior, all of which were clear, probably to let the light in. The building's roof was more rounded and the stone it was made from was a slightly darker brown.

Sol and Sen approached the double doors, the former slightly intimidated by their sheer size despite the fact that the temple's doors were much larger. It had been a good ten minutes since either of them had spoken.

"Well, we're here," Sen said, breaking the silence.

"Uh...after you?"

"Nice try." Sen placed her front paws on Sol's behind and gave him a shove, pushing him towards the entrance.

After entering the building, they found themselves in a large rectangular room. There were benches and cushions lining the room's edge, some of them occupied by sick, injured, or disabled individuals, others occupied by those visiting friends or family. At each end of the room were more sets of double doors, each the same size as the ones at the main entrance. Opposite said entrance was a desk attended by several moles and a few dragons. In front of this desk were a number of queues, one in front of each attendant, each full of similar individuals to those that were sat around the room's edge.

Sol followed Sen to the attendant furthest to the left, the only one that wasn't currently occupied. As they got closer, Sol analysed the attendant. She was an earth dragoness, several years older than he or Sen. Her scales were a bright green, getting brighter around her underbelly and the underside of her tail.

She was sitting on the floor, whereas everyone else at the table was standing. In addition, she was holding a pen in her tail and using it to doodle on the piece of paper in front of her, staring at it with an almost expressionless face. To put it bluntly, she looked bored out of her mind.

Sen stopped when she reached the counter and cleared her throat loudly, startling the dragoness behind the counter and causing her to gasp. The dragoness then looked at Sen and her face lit up. "Sen! How've you been? I haven't seen you in almost a month!"

"I've been great, Jade! Listen, I'd love to catch up, but right now I need you to see to my friend." Sen gestured towards Sol using her wing.

"_Did Sen just call me her friend? Yes!"_

"He's supposed to be having an examination," Sen explained.

"Oh, alright. I'll go get the doctor." The green dragoness left to fetch the doctor, dashing through the door on the left side of the room.

"Jade?" Sol wondered aloud.

"She's a friend of mine." said Sen. "We haven't spoken in a while, she's only just gotten back from visiting Overlook."

"...Right, and what's Overlook? Is it a place?"

"It's a settlement on the cliffs to the south. It's popular among tourists because of the ocean view."

"_Huh… It's at the top of a cliff and overlooks the ocean. At least the name makes sense,"_ Sol thought. "Wow...must be nice."

"Yeah, I've heard it is." Sol sensed a hint of longing in Sen's voice.

"Never been there yourself?"

"No, I haven't… At least not yet," she said, winking at him.

The door on the room's left side opened again and Jade walked through. She called out to the pair. "Hey! Snow White! The doctor's ready to see you!"

"_Snow White?"_

"Go on, Sol. I can't go in with you. Besides, I need to talk to Jade about something."

"Um...alright." Sol walked towards the door that Jade had just come out of. As he passed her, she held her wing out to stop him.

"The doctor is waiting for you in room thirty-seven." Jade withdrew her wing and allowed him to pass.

Sol proceeded to walk through the double doors and out of sight. Jade was about to walk back to her place at the desk, only to be tackled by a yellow flash. Rolling over several times, they ended up in a heap.

"So, how was your trip?"

"It was great, Sen. There was so much to do and everyone was so nice to us. I think you should go sometime."

"I can't, remember?" Sen said, climbing off Jade and allowing her to stand up. "I wanted to go with you and they wouldn't let me."

"Oh, right. Sorry."

"It's alright. So, tell me more. What did you get up to?"

Elsewhere in the building, Sol had asked a nurse for directions and was on his way to see the doctor. He nervously approached the door to room thirty-seven, his paws getting heavier with every step. He didn't want someone prodding him with a stick. He didn't want someone jabbing him with needles. He most certainly didn't like the idea of someone taking samples of his blood.

"_...No. I have to. Besides, they might not take a blood sample. Even if they do, it's only a blood sample. They need to check it for diseases. If they don't, I could have something terrible and I wouldn't even know about it until it was too late."_

Sol stopped when he reached the door and raised his paw.

He knocked. Once. Twice. Three times. After a few seconds, a voice called out from inside. "Come in."

"_Please nothing too invasive, please nothing too invasive."_

Sol pushed the door open, dreading what was to come.

Several rooms away, the discussion regarding Jade's recent trip outside the city was in full swing.

"...And the drakes are really cute." she said with a sheepish smile.

"No way! Did any of them catch your eye?" Sen said with a sly look on her face.

"What? N-no!" Jade stuttered. "B-besides, I had better things to do."

"Better things to do? Wait… You didn't."

"Yeah, I did,"

"You took the dive? Awesome!" The excitement in her voice was off the chart. "What's it like!?"

"It's mindblowing. The cold air rushing past you, the near-complete silence, the whole three minutes alone with your thoughts, the close-up view of the water as it rushes to meet you..."

"So, did you enter the water or did you pull away at the last second?"

"Sen, you know I've never chickened out of anything."

"Except for-"

"Except for your hatchday party, I know. I don't want to talk about that."

"So what was the water like?"

"It was very cool, very refreshing. They've got a tiny beach down there, you know. There was a stall at the bottom where a bunch of cheetahs were selling anklets. They were supposed to be proof of being a daredevil."

"That's awesome! Let me guess...you got one, didn't you?"

Jade slightly lifted a hind leg, showing off the golden trinket. In response, Sen raised one of her forepaws up high.

"Gimmie paw."

Jade raised hers to the same height and they slapped them together with an audible smack.

* * *

><p>Sol had been laying on his side for what seemed like hours. So far the doctor, a mole, had nearly climbed into his throat, held a stethoscope to his chest and told him to cough, and even plucked one or two of his scales. Currently, Sol was alone in the room. It had been ages since the doctor had left to get something. Although he had been told to stay put, Sol was growing impatient. He was just about to get up to go and find the doctor when he re-entered the room pushing some kind of trolley.<p>

"Terribly sorry I took so long. I needed to get these."

On the trolley there were four glass containers of various sizes, along with a needle, a glowing red gem like the one he'd seen in the fort, and a bandage kit.

"Uh...what are those for?" Sol asked, slightly uneasy.

"I simply need some samples."

"B-blood samples?"

"I'm going to need more than just blood, I'm afraid."

It took a few seconds for Sol to realise what the doctor was asking for.

"You must be kidding!" His cry was far louder than intended, carrying throughout the infirmary.

Meanwhile, in the infirmary's entrance hall, Sen and Jade's conversation had lasted well over fifteen minutes and had covered a wide variety of topics. They had gone from the latter's visit to Overlook to the new mystery novel that the former had just finished reading. From there, they had since moved onto when next to meet up.

They paused briefly when they heard a faint, indistinguishable yelp from somewhere else in the building. After passing it off as nothing, they continued their conversation.

"So, what are you going to be doing later? Maybe when I've taken Sol to his dorm at the academy, we could hang out?"

"Sorry, Sen. I'm busy tonight," said Jade, looking just as disappointed as Sen felt.

"Aw...please?" Sen begged, making her eyes as big as possible.

"I already have plans tonight. There's a play at the theatre tomorrow, maybe we could go together?" Jade suggested.

"Is it any good?"

"From what I've heard, it's _very _good. The plot's a bit controversial but the acting is excellent."

"Great! I'm looking forward to it."

The conversation continued for another ten minutes. Eventually, the large door on the room's left side opened yet again and Sol hastily made his way to Sen's side. His facial expression suggested he was very ashamed about something.

"Okay, the exam is done. Let's get out of here."

"You seem like you're in a hurry to leave, what's wrong? Did the doctor scare you?" Sen teased.

"I don't want to talk about it." Sol tried to avoid Sen's gaze.

"So, what do you wanna do now?" she asked.

"Uh...can we get something to eat? I haven't eaten since this morning." As if on cue, Sol's belly growled.

"Sure. I'll take you to the food court. It's free for academy students."

"Alright. Let's go."

* * *

><p>About ten minutes later, they arrived at the food court. The exterior was similar to the infirmary, although the building itself was slightly smaller. Once inside, Sol was nearly overwhelmed by the sheer number of long wooden tables; each one was about half a meter off the ground. They were lined up in rows with gaps in-between, so as to not restrict movement. A group of light-looking chairs were positioned near the entrance, most likely for cheetahs and moles. Several groups of friends and acquaintances were dotted around, but most of the room was empty.<p>

Sen instructed Sol to sit down in front of one of the tables, then went to get the food herself. There was a counter at the back of the hall. A small queue had formed in front of it and was stretched along the wall; it was just over ten meters long.

Instead of joining the queue, Sen walked straight to the counter and spoke to the mole. Sol couldn't hear what she was saying, but the mole simply nodded and dashed through the door behind him. Sen returned to the table and sat down opposite Sol.

"The food will be here in about ten minutes," she said excitedly.

"So...what are we going to eat?"

"Well, you said you were pretty hungry, and I have crazy metabolism, so I got a whole bunch of things for us to share. I thought it'd be a good opportunity to see what you like."

"Oh, okay." Sol's belly rumbled as he stared at the empty table in front of him. "_Ugh, I think my stomach is starting to hurt. I should probably change the subject. Maybe talk about her? I'll start with some small talk."_

"Just out of curiosity, what do you like to eat?" Sol mentally cursed himself. "_Great idea, genius, let's talk more about food."_

"I eat lots of different stuff, mostly fruit...and seafood; salmon's my favorite."

"You like salmon? That's cool, I guess." He now knew her favorite food and that was nowhere near enough. He had to know more. "Okay… What about literature? Do you read?"

"Do you?"

"I...have no idea." His honest answer induced a laugh from Sen.

"That's cute. Um, I like adventure, mystery...and romance." As the final word left her lips, she gave a smile so captivating that time seemed to slow down to allow Sol's mind to process it.

"_Is she...no. Never mind."_

"Um...okay," Sol said as everything returned to normal speed. "What about family? I know you're Terrador's niece, but-"

"I'd rather not go into detail about that." The sudden shift in Sen's tone of voice told Sol she was being serious.

"Oh… Sorry I asked." Sol's gaze drifted towards his paws.

"It's alright." Sen's previous cheerful tone returned. "You're going to find out sooner or later, so I'll just tell you the part that everyone else already knows."

"Everyone else? So you're well-known?"

"Sort of. I'm not just Terrador's niece; he's my dad's brother. My maternal uncle, Volteer, is the Electric Guardian."

"No kidding? That's kind of cool."

"It really isn't. I'd rather not go into it if that's okay."

"Alright, I'll change the subject." Sol paused for a moment. "So...do you study at the academy?"

"Yeah."

"What are you studying?"

"I study Performing Arts, Ethics and Philosophy, Psychology, Law and Politics, and Architecture."

"Uh...why Law and Politics?"

"Emotional blackmail." She laughed.

"So...when did you say that food was getting here again?"

"It's on its way."

"I know, but how long do you think-?"

"N-no, I mean it's literally on its way. I can see it." Sen gestured across the hall to a mole, not the one behind the counter, pushing a metal trolley.

Sol had mixed feelings upon seeing the trolley; the food that lay upon it was truly a sight to behold, but the similar trolley he had seen earlier that day had been the precursor to what surely must have been one of the most embarrassing experiences he would ever have.

As the trolley arrived, platters of meat and vegetables, bowls of fruit, and even some baked goods were delicately placed in front of them. Once everything had been unloaded, it was nigh impossible to see the table anymore; it had been lost amidst the sea of delicacies.

The mole left and both dragons eyed the pile of food with an almost feral hunger, aching to fill their empty stomachs as quickly as possible. They exchanged glances one last time before lunging at their prey.


End file.
